About

CTHQ is a gathering space supporting artists working at the intersection of art and politics as they continue to plot, orchestrate, and recharge from cultural, political, and social organizing work.

Rooted in a legacy of art and activism, CTHQ emerges from the rebelliousness of artist organizers in the Lower East Side, where a critical network of neighborhood art, health, and education centers, experimental theater, protest collectives, and community-owned housing, cultural, and green spaces self organized to claim and shape space for artistic and political production.

CTHQ sits within Creative Time’s historic and ongoing work to gather artists to share tactics for political change most notably through the Think Tank, Summit, and Reports. Growing within a lineage of visionary and transgressive creative moments, CTHQ serves as a hub for today and tomorrow’s community of socially engaged and politically oriented artists in the neighborhood, citywide, across the country, and around the world.

Contact CTHQ at curatorial@creativetime.org.

ACCESSIBILITY

Entry
CTHQ is located on the 7th Floor of 59 East 4th Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue in Manhattan. The building entrance has no steps and elevator access is provided directly to CTHQ.

Service animals are welcome.

At this time, CTHQ hours are limited to public programs. Please check the calendar to attend a public program.

Restrooms
One ADA accessible, all-gender restroom is located inside CTHQ.

Covid Guidelines
While masks are not required, they are available to all guests at CTHQ and mask-wearing is encouraged.

If you are feeling sick or have tested positive for Covid-19, we ask that you please refrain from participating in CTHQ programs in order to care for fellow community members.

Accessibility Requests
If you have any questions regarding accessibility or to request specific accommodations, please email: programming@creativetime.org.

HISTORY

Following an extraordinary legacy of neighborhood-wide coalition of small to midsize cultural organizations under the advocacy of the Fourth Arts Block, Creative Time is fortunate to own its office space in the East Village. From the 1970s through today, East 4th Street has been home to a coalition of cultural organizations thwarting the patterns of gentrification to stay in place. With La Mama Experimental Theater Club leading the way, a handful of cultural organizations began moving to the neighborhood in the midst of the fiscal crisis of the 1970s in a deal with the City: vacant buildings and lots, previously seized by the City through eminent domain, were turned over to artists and cultural organizations in exchange for their assuming all maintenance and operations of these spaces. Many of these leases remained in effect for 15-30 years.

In 2005, the City sold six buildings and four vacant lots on the block of East 4th Street between Bowery and 2nd Avenue for $1 each to local cultural organizations. The following year, this block was designated an official Cultural District. Today it houses dozens of theaters, rehearsal studios, film editing suites and a large screening room, and four visual arts organizations. Because of the long-term efforts of these cultural organizations, Creative Time received affordable access to its own space, including CTHQ, several years later.

This is just one example of the neighborhood’s long history of activism. Since the 19th century, the East Village has served as a site for political protest and negotiation of rights, from the 1849 Astor Place Riot, a violent marker of class inequity, to Frederick Douglas’ 1863 delivery of “The Proclamation and a Negro Army” at Cooper Union. Numerous seeds of revolution have fomented in the neighborhood throughout its history, including the Chinese Students Alliance’s dissent against China’s actions in the Sino-Soviet war, the Nuyorican arts movement, anarchist houses and socialist organizing centers, anti-displacement and tenants rights groups, environmental justice actions, a meeting ground for the recent 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, and today’s local Save East River Park coalition of tree and water protectors.

Alongside organizations such as the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space, Loisaida Center, CHARAS/El Bohio, ABCnoRIO, La Mama, and CTHQ Performance Space, we inherit a legacy of cultural rebelliousness that has defined the history of the neighborhood—CTHQ is situated within a powerful lineage of visionary and transgressive creative moments.

LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

We acknowledge that the site of CTHQ in what is currently called Manhattan occupies Lenapehoking, the homelands of the Lenape. Creative Time stands in solidarity with the Lenape diasporas’ right to return to their ancestral lands. As occupiers of this territory, we recognize the continual displacement of Native people, and we are committing to confronting the ongoing effects of this colonial legacy.

Beneath the colonial identification of any site in North America, there are histories that have been erased, overlooked, contested, and forgotten. We honor the forced labor of enslaved Black people that created this built environment, and the resources and wealth generated from it. We recognize the histories and ongoing practices of displacement that continue to forcibly relocate Black, Indigenous, Puerto Rican and immigrant communities from this neighborhood. We recognize that these historic and present-day racial realities continue to uphold white privilege in the arts, and we commit to dismantling racism in spaces of our work.

We understand that land acknowledgements are often used as an empty stand-in for actual decolonization work and are committed to confronting the ongoing effects of this colonial legacy. To read more about Creative Time’s commitment to decolonization, please read our signed letter of intent with artist Emily Johnson.

CODE OF CONDUCT

Creative Time is committed to maintaining an atmosphere of inclusion for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, age, caste, social status, religious affiliation, or marital status. By opening up community spaces, we acknowledge the likelihood that differing views will be expressed. We expect our community to help us realize a safe and positive experience for everyone. This code of conduct outlines our expectations for everyone who uses the space, whether as a coworker, program participant, or organizer or attendee of meetups and other events taking place here. The code of conduct applies not only in our space, but also in our online networks, all related events, and one-on-one communications carried out in the context of community business. It also states the consequences of violating these expectations.

For purposes of honesty, courtesy and legality, those interacting in our space are expected to uphold the following values:

Acknowledge that we are gathering on unceded Lenape territory, Manahatta, and recognize the histories of occupation of this space since the original inhabitants of Lenapehoking to its ongoing conditions of gentrification and displacement of Black, immigrant, and low-income residents.
Acknowledge that CTHQ is born from generations-long local cultural activism that has secured a lasting presence of alternative arts and cultural spaces on and around East 4th Street.
Center and respect the neighbors, communities, and histories of and around East 4th Street.
Embrace collaboration, experimentation, multiple forms of creative expression, non-linear working methods and a multi-purpose use of the space.
Nurture respect, generosity, and trust as an active practice.
Lift up accessibility in all its forms.
Affirm radically inclusive practices that are anti-racist, anti-sexist, and anti-ableist.
Prioritize the physical and emotional safety of yourself, your guests, the staff, and all others in this space.

In an effort to keep our community safe, before coming to CTHQ, please note the following space use guidelines:

Be mindful of common food allergens (tree nuts, peanuts, gluten, dairy, shellfish) and do not share or leave out any food that contains these allergens.
This is a drug-free and smoke-free space. Please smoke outside of the building.
Keep all weapons outside of CTHQ.
Be prepared to accommodate and respect the health, safety and access needs of those with whom you share CTHQ.
If you are sick or have been exposed to someone who has COVID-19, please stay home.
Leave pets at home, with the exception of service animals.
Refrain from sleeping at CTHQ.
Never leave personal items unattended. CTHQ is not responsible for lost or stolen personal property.

As an inclusive space, we will not tolerate:

Racist, homophobic, transphobic, fatphobic, ableist, white supremacist, sexist, Islamophobic, antisemitic, or other discriminatory language or actions;
Violence of any nature;
Sexual harassment;
Interrupting a planned performance, quiet moment, or intimate conversation; or
Noncooperation with CTHQ or Creative Time staff requests.

Unacceptable behavior from any individual will not be tolerated. Anyone asked to cease a violating behavior is expected to comply and will be asked to leave the premises. We may additionally decide to take any action we deem appropriate, including, but not limited to, a temporary or permanent ban from CTHQ. If you feel you have been falsely or unfairly accused of violating the Code of Conduct, you should send an email to curatorial@creativetime.org with a concise description of your grievances.

We believe that everyone who utilizes our space deserves respect and an experience free from harassment or discrimination. Likewise, everyone also deserves a clear and direct way to report grievances. Please reach out to us at curatorial@creativetime.org with any questions or concerns.